AALS Deans Forum Steering Committee Creates Law Deans Clearinghouse for Student Mental Health
Members of the AALS Deans Forum Steering Committee have created a new resource to help law schools address issues related to student mental health and well-being. The Law Deans Clearinghouse for Student Mental Health launched on the AALS website in March and includes lists of resources, books, articles, videos, podcasts, and other information to help support the well-being of law students and graduates. The deans working on the project drew inspiration from the Law Deans Antiracist Clearinghouse Projectthat launched in 2020.
The Law Deans Clearinghouse for Student Mental Health is available at www.aals.org/mental-health-clearinghouse/.
“Student mental health, wellness, and well-being are critically important issues facing higher education, including law schools,” said University of Minnesota Dean Garry Jenkins who led the project as chair of the AALS Deans Forum Steering Committee.
As part of the new project, law schools are invited to share information about the programs, services, and activities that their school provides for students related to wellness and well-being. Examples from the schools represented on the Deans Forum Steering Committee and other institutions can be found on the page.
“The primary intent of this project is to enable deans to share resources, generate new ideas, and provide opportunities for law schools to learn from one another. We hope that by working collaboratively, we can improve the landscape for student mental health of law students.”
AALS would like to thank Garry Jenkins and the deans on the working group who helped bring this project to fruition, including April Barton (Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University), Darby Dickerson (Southwestern Law School), Hari Osofsky (Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law), and Elizabeth Kronk Warner (University of Utah, S.J. Quinney College of Law).